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A REDDITCH author has entered herself into a national publishing competition to become Britain’s next bestseller.

Sarah Bates wrote her debut book, The Amazing Adventures of Roddy the Magic Cat, after spending time travelling the world.

The illustrated picture book leads children on a magical adventure to different countries of the world.

In the book, Roddy travels to Nepal where he realises a lifelong dream to see Mount Everest.

Along the way, he is accompanied by his new-found friend, a dog called Hobo, who guides and teaches him about life in the mountains.

The idea for the book, the first in a planned series, started on a 12-hour bus journey travelling through Laos in South East Asia.

Among the overcrowded chaos and cramped conditions, she penned the start of a series about friendship, possibility and adventure that aims to educate and inspire children to learn about places beyond their doorstep

Ms Bates said: "The stories are based on my real life experiences while backpacking, so the people or situations you encounter are authentic rather than researched, told through the eyes of a most magical cat called Roddy.

"The illustrations are based on the 15,000 photos that I took while travelling."

The author, who will be doing a special reading at Redditch Library on May 3 at 11am, is asking for people to support her by placing a pre-order for her book on britainsnextbestseller.co.uk where there is a trailer and people can download a sample of the book.

If Ms Bates achieves a minimum of 250 pre-orders, she will win a publishing contract.

What’s more, all those who purchase a pre-ordered copy will have their name printed in the book.